Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing.

AN: You guys are seriously awesome! Your reviews mean so much to me and I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! It was difficult to write and I was very nervous about it, but by your responses it looks like it worked out okay. A tiny bit of gore in this chapter, but not much.

Draco Pov:

Two months. It's been two months since Hermione was attacked by the fucking weasel at the quidditch game, and still he hasn't been found. Harry and Blaise have been doing the best they can with trying to track him down, but demands of their missing person's cases haven't left much time for them to look. According to the public, finding out who took and murdered these people is much more important than trying to hunt down a bloody lunatic (Though no one but me, Hermione, and a large majority of the aurors know we're trying to locate Ron Weasley) and they demand Potter and the law department to solve this mystery. I do want to know what happened to these people, but damnit I want to know where that sorry piece of shit is even more so I can give him what's coming to him.

A few days after the game, the Chudley Cannons chaser was found. Well, what was left of his body that is. His remains had been left in the middle of the quidditch field that the Cannons use to practice on, and they all received the shock of their lives when they came in that day. Potter and his team were immediately called in and his body was so badly mutilated it took a little while for them to confirm it was indeed him. Upon further examination, it was discovered that he had been tortured mercilessly and vicious dark spells used on him. It was a brutal way to die.

Over the next few weeks, one by one the women that were reported missing turned up as well. Though not as severely as the quidditch player, they were still dead after evidence of having been tortured. Many of these women were nothing more than prostitutes. A few were just random girls with nothing in common. However, because of the way they each died, Potter's suspicions were confirmed regarding their killer. It was the same person or people. No one knows why or what their motive could possibly be, but whoever they are they're sick and need to be caught as soon as possible.

I feel bad for Potter actually. He was criticized in an article by Skeeter for not being able to solve this case yet and stop the madman. I'd like to see her try rather than throw her opinion around and try to ruin people's reputations. He's got the public breathing down his back about stopping these crimes, doing his best to track down Weaslebee in between, and will have another kid in a few weeks time. The demands of being the chosen one seem to never end. He's doing the best he can, and after the quidditch game he gave Hermione and I these magic galleons. They explained that they used these back in fifth year to communicate with each other about meetings and such for Dumbledore's Army and how to work them. The only problem is there's only so much you can fit on a tiny coin. Still it's one more thing to ensure Hermione's safety incase the bloody tosser tries something again.

When she finally told me what he did to her, I was stunned. I couldn't believe he had such cruelty in him. From being around the Weasley's excessively over the past few years, I'm shocked that such a worthless and utter prat came from such a loving family. To hurt someone as kind, compassionate, and incredible as Hermione, you have to be fucking deranged. Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. He had her believing for years that she was ugly and worthless. I make sure every day I remind her just how beautiful and magnificent she is. I've made a lot of progress, but it will take more than two months to reverse several years' worth of damage he caused. Just thinking about it makes me furious and when they finally do catch him, I'm going to kick his arse.

But on the upside, these past two months have been spent with Hermione in my home permanently, and in my bed. I'm the luckiest man in the world to get to wake up with her in my arms every single day. Not to mention the sex is bloody fantastic. Every time I'm with her, it's like I'm a raging hormonal teenager again. I can't get enough of the Gryffindor Goddess and we can usually go several times in one night. We've also had to put up a permanent silencing charm around our room because once we were nearly caught by Scorp. He came in thinking we were hurt because of all the bumping and moaning. Talk about embarrassing.

He's also been just as happy as me about Hermione living with us. He didn't ask questions when he came back from Potter's and we told him she would be staying with us that next day. He simply cheered and threw his arms around her neck, then said he would share his room with her. We both laughed and I think he was a little mad at me when I said she would be sharing my room. But having her with him and getting to spend as much time with her as is possible is enough for him and I'm so glad this entire relationship has been an easy thing for him to adjust to.

A few days ago, I was reading him a story while Hermione was taking a bath. We switch off every other night with story time, but both kiss him goodnight before we go to bed ourselves. Midway through the book he stopped me to ask a question.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Scorp?" I asked putting the book down.

"Is Mione my mommy yet?" he asked looking up at me with his big grey eyes.

This was tricky. How do you explain our situation to a three year old? I knew one day I was going to have to tell him the story of why he didn't have a mother like other kids. I'd always pushed the thought away and tried not to dwell on it until either the time came or he asked me. Who wants to tell their child that one of their parents completely gave them up and wanted nothing to do with them?

But then Hermione came along and made our broken family whole. Though both Scorp and I already consider her his mother, nothing has been made official yet. We're not married, she has no legal ties to him, and he even still calls her Mione.

"Well…you see…not exactly…" I stammered trying to find the words.

His face fell and his eyes began to fill with tears. "But daddy, I really want her to be" he said through his sniffles.

I pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back. "Don't cry Scorp, I know you do. I want her to be too. We just have to wait."

"How much longer do we have to wait" he questioned pulling his head from my side.

"I'm not sure. It takes a long time" I answered.

"It's already been a long time" he huffed. "She lives with us. And she loves us and we love her too. She acts just like James' mommy! Why do we have to keep waiting?"

I thought about what he was saying. He had a point. We were all living under the same roof, I loved her and she loved me, and most importantly she loved and treated Scorpious as her own. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. So what was stopping us? The only possible problem I could think of was that Weasley was still on the loose, but I refused to let him get in the way of our happiness.

"You're right buddy" I told him after a minute. "But do you think you can wait for just a little while longer?" He crossed his arms and opened his mouth to protest, but I quickly said, "Just a little while longer. I promise very soon we'll make Mione your mommy. But we have to keep it a secret between you and me. We can't tell her anything yet."

His eyes widened. "You mean like a surprise?" he whispered dramatically.

I smiled. "Yes, like a surprise." Later that night after thoroughly making love to her, a plan began to form in my mind. The next day I went to talk to Potter and Blaise and told them all about it. They backed me a hundred percent and Potter said he'd send some aurors on ahead for when we got there. We're still very adamant about having her guarded at all times, and even have someone stationed right outside her office door every day.

At lunch I told her I had something to take care of and wouldn't be able to eat with her like usual. Instead, I flooed over to the Manor and filled mother in on what I was planning to do. She let out a very high pitched shriek of joy, and hugged me with a strength I didn't know she possessed. Clearly she was all for it. She gave me the key to the gringotts account that has all the Malfoy family jewels and I searched around for a while before I found exactly what I was looking for. When we came home that night, I told her I had to run a quick errand and would be back later. She looked confused, but I just kissed her and said not to worry, I'd explain later. I apparated to her parent's house and talked with them for over an hour. At the end of our talk, her father shook my hand and her mother wrapped me in a hug with tears shining in her eyes. They were really great people and will make a wonderful set of grandparents for Scorp.

Lastly, I went and talked to Kingsley and asked for a few days off for both Hermione and I. I filled him in as well and he approved immediately as well as wishing me the best of luck. Now I'm standing in my office finishing up work for the day before our vacation officially starts tonight. Hermione still has no idea about anything that's going to happen, and I told Tilly to pack a suitcase for me, Scorp, and her while we were at work, then take him on over to the villa we own in Italy. I'm anxious and nervous because I want everything to go perfectly. This is technically the first time I've ever done this.

"Mr. Malfoy? Someone left this memo for you on my desk" says a secretary walking over and handing me an envelope. I thank her and she leaves while I open it. Once I read it, my blood runs cold and anger courses through my veins.

Stay the fuck away from her ferret. You'll regret it if you don't

That fucktard! My first thought is to incinerate it, but I need to show this to Potter. Sweet Salazar, did this mean he was in the building? Oh no, Hermione! I bolt from my office, and take the lift down to her department. People give me strange looks as I rush past them, but I have to know she's okay. Did no one see him come in? Potter told Kingsley about what happened at the quidditch team and he sent out a message to everyone that if they happened to know where he was, alert the aurors immediately, though he didn't go into detail about why. How did he get into the ministry? I swear to Merlin, if he harmed even one hair on her head, I'll fucking kill him with my bare hands…

She's not in her office and not in the loo either. I can't even find her guard. Shit! No, no, no this is not happening! Oh hell, where-

"Looking for Granger, Malfoy" a voice calls behind me and I whip around to see Dean Thomas. He works in the same department with her and was one of the few decent guys when she first came back. I don't know him that well, but Hermione likes him and they sometimes work on the same international cases.

"Yes, have you seen her" I ask him hurriedly.

"She just went to her meeting a few minutes ago. The board of education is discussing something with her. They're down on the fifth floor in the small meeting room" he informs me. if I wasn't in such a bloody hurry, I may have hugged him. I throw a quick thanks over my shoulder and head that way. I have to make sure she's alright. I have to see for myself.

Luckily, the door is partially open and I can see into it without having to barge in like a madman. She's sitting with her back to me, and her guard is leaning against the back wall with his arms crossed. I hear somebody say something about hiring professors, but I'm not really paying attention. Relief floods through me as I see that she's fine.

I head down to Potter's office then and grab Blaise along the way who had come looking for me. He said that Potter wanted to see me and he was just coming to get me before I ran like a bat out of hell according to my secretary. Once I reach his office, he gives me a questioning look, but I just give him the note. He reads it then sighs and shows me two different memos on his desk.

Stay away from her or you'll regret it.

You can't keep her from me. I own her.

"I received the first note last night when I came home from work. It was sitting underneath my doorway. The second one was brought to me moments ago by a secretary. She said it had just been left on her desk and she had no idea who put it there" Potter tells me.

"The same thing with mine" I say. "When I read it I thought maybe he'd gotten in and went after her. I had to make sure she was safe."

Potter nods. "I sent a patronus after I got the second one to Kingsley and he told me he was just fixing to get her for a meeting. I sent two junior aurors down just as an extra precaution. My men are searching the entire ministry, but I don't think he's here and I certainly don't know how he got these notes to us without anyone noticing."

The entire situation is strange. How did Weasley get these too us undetected? He must have been disguised somehow…

"As soon as Mione comes out of her meeting, I'll have to inform her" Potter states.

"No, don't!" I say quickly.

Potter looks at me with his eyebrows raised. "Malfoy, I know you want to protect her, but I can't keep this-"

"I'm not saying we don't tell her" I quickly amend. "I'm saying we don't tell her yet. Let me have tonight and proceed with my plan. If we tell her, it will only affect things negatively. I promise I'll tell her before we come back."

Potter thinks about it for a moment. "You're still going to do it, even after his threats?"

I scoff at him. "Of course I am! I love her, and this doesn't change anything. Besides, this is exactly what he wants and I'll be damned if my life and decisions are based on his terms!" I'm not scared of the weasel. He's not taking my happiness from me and my son and he sure as hell isn't taking Hermione from me.

He agrees after insisting on sending a few more aurors ahead of us. I've got powerful wards all over the villa, but I don't mind these extra safety measures. A few hours later, the work day is finished and I'm just waiting on Hermione to finish up with some meetings. By the time she's done, it's around five and I'm very jittery. Would she think it's too soon? It's been about seven months, but I'm positive this is what I want. I hope she feels the same.

"Hey, ready to go?" she asks coming up beside me by the floo network. I kiss her and nod, taking her hand and leading her to the fireplace. Once inside, I call out the address to the villa and we emerge in the formal living room.

"Draco, where are we? Why aren't we at home?" she asks after dusting ashes from herself.

"We're in Italy at one of our villas, and we're taking a mini vacation for the rest of the week" I tell her taking her hand and leading her upstairs. I can see her starting to ask questions so I say, "We both have the rest of the week off and will be returning on Sunday. Our friends and families know where we are, and Scorpious is already here waiting."

As soon as I tell her that, we've ended up out on one of the balconies where a table has been set up, and delicious Italian food waiting. Scorpious is out playing with some toys and dressed in nice slacks and a small button up shirt with Tilly watching him closely. When he sees us, he runs over and embraces Hermione first, and then me.

"Is it time yet, daddy?" he whispers in my ear when I lift him up.

"Not yet buddy, you'll know when. It'll be just like we planned" I whisper back. For three days, I've practiced this scene with him in his room when Hermione was busy. He's as desperate and anxious as me, but also excited for his role in tonight.

"Oh Draco, this is so wonderful" Hermione breathes looking over everything. "Did you do all this?"

I smirked at her. "I may have had some help and suggestions from friends and family."

"I helped too, Mione!" Scorp says proudly, puffing his chest out. She kisses his cheek, and then we seat ourselves around the table for dinner. We look very domesticated, and it's the same way we've been doing things for months now, but this time it's also very different. Every once in a while, I'll thumb over the velvet case in my pocket as I try to keep the conversation up with her, but she's mostly conversing with Scorp. She goes into a little bit more detail about her meeting today, and how they've decided to add a new department to the ministry focusing on training professors for the new school. There was already a program that professors for Hogwarts had to go through, but you can't train these teachers the same as you do for teachers of teenagers. Finally we finish our meal and Hermione looks at me with questioning eyes.

"Draco. I'm flattered by all of this, and it's so romantic. But what brought this on? Why are we randomly taking a vacation in the middle of the week?"

This is it. It actually worked out pretty smoothly, seeing as she's just presented me with the opportunity to go about this. I stand up from the table and take her hand, bringing her to right in the middle of the balcony. From here the sun is setting over the vast fields and gardens, and everything is painted in a golden hue. She looks at me with a questioning look still on her face, but then her eyes widen as I drop down to one knee. Scorpious comes over and plants himself right on top of my raised knee with a huge smile on his face, as I remove the velvet box from my pocket trousers and open it to her. Inside is a gold goblin made ring with a square cut emerald in the middle, and diamond circling it.

"This ring belonged to my great grandmother. She'd met my great grandfather at Hogwarts, and fell in love with him over the course of their schooling years, though they didn't get along at first. They were perfect for each other and remained happily married for sixty seven years." Her hands come up to cover her mouth and her eyes fill with tears. I hope this is a good thing and continue.

"Hermione, I know we never got along much in school. It was my own stupidity and bigotry that kept me from seeing how amazing you are, but I thank the deities every day for bringing you back into my life and for allowing me the privilege of calling you mine. You're everything I could ever want, and so much more. I don't deserve you, but I promise I'll spend the rest of my life proving over and over again how much I love you and reminding you of how beautiful you are if you'll let me. Scorpious and I were lost until you became a part of our lives, and now I'd like to make it official. I've gotten permission from your parents, and the support from all of our friends. All I need is one word from you. Will you, Hermione Jean Granger, give me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"And will you be my mommy?" Scorpious asks, looking up at her with hopeful eyes.

A few tears leak out of her eyes, and she slowly removes her hands and takes a shaky breath. Then, a dazzling smile takes over her features as she looks down at the both of us. "Yes. I'd love to" she whispers with so much emotion in her voice.

Scorpious jumps off my knee and cheers, while I slip the ring on her finger and stand up to kiss her. Later that night after we've put Scorp to bed, we break in the master bedroom by shagging all over the place including the bed, up against the wall, over a couch, and finally in the large square tub in the middle of the bathroom. We tell each other over and over again how much we love each other and afterwards, I tell her I want to make her Scorp's legal mother and we agree that once we get back, we'll start the paperwork

We spend the next few days shopping and visiting landmarks all over the country. Scorp and she had never been to Italy, and I mentally make a note that I want to travel with my family all over the world. The night before we leave, I hold her in my arms and tell her about the threatening notes we got from the weasel. As I expected, she becomes increasingly worried, but then asks if I'm sure I want to marry her with him still out there. I kiss her thoroughly and tell her I've never been more sure of anything in my life, and that he will never change the way I feel about her. Just to make sure she understands the depth of my feelings, I make love to her for over an hour and am finally able to convince her.

We return that Sunday, and I take her to the Potters where everyone, my mother and her parents included, are waiting for us. She shows them the ring and loud cheers are given all around. The women flock around her and fuss about wedding plans and dates, and I enjoy a drink with the men as they all congratulate me. I didn't think I would ever go through this again, but with Hermione I find myself enjoying all the chaos that follows with planning a wedding.

News gets out once we return to work that we're engaged, and somehow it even slips to the daily prophet and other top newspapers. My guess is that Pansy let it slip; the girl never could keep a secret. At first Hermione is worried that Ron will find out, but I remind her how heavily guarded she is and how impossible it would be for him to try and get to her. Though I will admit I would feel better if he was caught and put away before the wedding takes place. Not that it will stop it from happening anyway.

A new era is descending on the Malfoy family, and for once we seem to be on the right path. Things with the school are coming along beautifully, and we've gotten so much support from the community. Lots of children will be attending once it's finally finished. We've set up a team at the ministry that has started venturing out into the muggle world and approaching the parents of magical children once they reach the age of three. After explaining about our world and ways, they inform them of the school and try to convince them to send their children there until they're ready for Hogwarts. Surprisingly, many parents accept it after seeing what all it has to offer, and how their child will find a place to be accepted in a world that understands them. Scorpious has started calling Hermione 'mommy' now, even though the paperwork will take a few months before it all becomes official. Life is moving along perfectly, but I can't stop this strange feeling that something bad is about to happen…

AN: Yay! They're engaged! I wonder how Ron's going to take it…dun dun dun! So I've decided that I will be wrapping this story up very shortly. Just a few more chapters, then it's over. I've pretty much got everything planned now, I just have to figure out how to fit a few more pieces together. Thanks again for all of your support!